ADHD vs. Anxiety and Depression: Is It Focus or Feelings?

(And Why ADHD Testing in San Diego Can Make All the Difference)

by Dr. Tilbe Ambrose

Can’t concentrate? Procrastinating hard? Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and kinda like your brain has 37 browser tabs open?

Could be ADHD. Could be anxiety or depression. Could even be all three.

These conditions love to masquerade as each other—which is why so many people are misdiagnosed or struggle for years without the right help. If you're thinking about ADHD testing in San Diego, here's what you need to know about the emotional overlap (and why sorting it out matters).

ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression: The Symptom Overlap Is Real

Let’s look at some of the most common symptoms that show up across ADHD, anxiety, and depression:

• Trouble focusing

• Mental fatigue or brain fog

• Procrastination and task avoidance

• Irritability

• Restlessness

• Trouble sleeping
  

Sound familiar? These are what we call “shared symptoms.” But here’s the kicker—they don’t mean the same thing across diagnoses.

ADHD: Focus Isn’t a Choice, It’s a Brain Function

People with ADHD struggle with focus not because they’re lazy or distracted by choice, but because their executive functioning system is dysregulated. That means difficulty with:

• Task initiation

• Time management

• Emotional regulation

• Staying motivated
  

It’s like the brain’s “manager” is on vacation—great ideas, poor follow-through.

➡️ The distraction isn’t from worry (anxiety) or sadness (depression), it’s neurological.

Anxiety: Focus is Hijacked by Worry

People with anxiety disorders often have a hard time focusing because their brain is constantly scanning for danger. They’re stuck in “what if” mode:

• “What if I mess this up?”

• “What if they’re mad at me?”

• “What if I forget something important?”
  

Even if they try to sit down and concentrate, the mental chatter makes it nearly impossible.

➡️ The focus problems here are driven by fear and rumination.

Depression: Focus is Dragged Down by Exhaustion

With depression, the brain feels heavy. Motivation is gone, energy is low, and even simple tasks feel overwhelming. People might appear distracted, forgetful, or disorganized—but that’s usually because their cognitive processing has slowed down.

➡️ Here, the difficulty focusing is a result of mental fatigue and disinterest.

ADHD, Anxiety, Depression… or All Three?

Here’s a plot twist: it’s very common for people with ADHD to also experience anxiety and/or depression, especially if their symptoms have gone undiagnosed or unmanaged for years. Living with constant stress, missed deadlines, strained relationships, or low self-esteem? Yeah—that can wear on anyone.

That’s why a solid psychological evaluation in San Diego should screen for all of the above. We need to know what came first, what’s still active, and what’s just a side effect of another issue.

What ADHD Testing Looks Like at Restore Psychology

Our ADHD assessment process is designed to get to the root of your symptoms—not just treat what’s on the surface. Here’s what we include:

• A deep-dive clinical interview (spoiler: we love asking good questions)

• Evidence-based ADHD symptom checklists and performance tasks

• Tests of attention, memory, and executive function

• Screening for anxiety, depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, and more

• A personalized written report with clear recommendations and next steps
  

It’s not just about ruling ADHD in—it’s about ruling other things out.

👉 Learn more about our ADHD assessments in San Diego

Why This Matters for Treatment (Especially Medication)

ADHD is a neurological condition—and if diagnosed accurately, stimulant medications can be incredibly helpful. But for someone with anxiety or depression (and not ADHD), those same medications can actually backfire:

• Increased anxiety

• Insomnia

• Emotional dysregulation

• Possible addiction risk
  

That’s why we always advocate for accurate diagnosis first. Treatment is powerful—but only if it's the right one for your brain.

Ready for Answers?

If you’re tired of guessing whether it’s focus, feelings, or both—Restore Psychology is here to help. We offer ADHD testing in San Diego that’s thorough, compassionate, and designed for real people (with real lives and messy brains).

Let’s get to the root of it—together.

Schedule your ADHD assessment